the ground there tonight. the massive settlement in the police killing of andre hill his family set to commission to investigate the capitol riots. the bridge connecting two states shut down after a massive crack is discovered the traffic nightmare. cars backed up for miles. and our exclusive. the new federal warning on cryptocurrency scams what to know before you buy. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone you may be wondering by now if you heard the news correctly that masks were no longer needed for the fully vaccinated that's because tonight not every state is signing on to that advice from the cdc. at least not yet a day after the new guidelines were announced a range of reactions from joy to confusion to wariness. it's what we wanted, to reach a point where vaccines were driving as of today over 155

million of us have received at least one dose of a vaccine. but even good news can be hard to process in this case what do the relaxed guidelines mean for society that has fundamentally adapted the ways we work, the ways we dine out, and shop to protect from a deadly and invisible threat miguel almaguer starts us off tonight >> reporter: tonight, the unmasking of america embraced with both celebration -- >> whoo! i'm super excited about that >> reporter: and hesitation >> i definitely agree it's too soon. >> reporter: states from new york to california which implement their own covid rules and regulations are now reviewing, not yet enacting the new cdc guidance but states like kansas are even as they deal with variants and a cluster of new cases including at nursing homes. >> i was very surprised that it came this quickly it makes it very difficult for the individual to know

exactly what to do in terms of their safety. >> reporter: often a flashpoint for controversy and a symbol for divisiveness during the pandemic, the patchwork of mask reversals may be as confusing and conflicting as the orders that first put them into place. in minnesota the governor signing an executive order to end mask requirements. but mayors in the state's biggest cities, minneapolis and st. paul, say mandates stay in place for now. >> what we've done is we've empowered the american people to make their own decisions about their own health >> reporter: the cdc said their watershed decision that the fully vaccinated can go maskless in nearly all settings came after national covid cases fell and vaccinations rose. still, today a steady list of national retailers from pharmacies to department stores say masks will be required but trader joe's and walmart announcing they will no longer be needed for the

vaccinated if cleared by local authorities >> these guidelines will cause more confusion because if you're a business owner what do you do how do you expect to prove that people are vaccinated >> reporter: tonight the end of masks not yet here, but our nation is facing a future without them. >> miguel, this brings up a lot of questions about the future of the workplace. >> reporter: it certainly does, lester like most major businesses many offices are now requiring masks still be worn inside but that guidance could soon change. and for some employers it could speed up the timetable for the return to work, but that will of course vary lester >> all right miguel almaguer, thank you. and a lot of questions tonight facing american families what do these new guidelines mean if parents are vaccinated but their kids aren't? kristen dahlgren on what you need to know. >> reporter: it's a big day for the williamson family. >> oh, i'm so excited. >> reporter: 15-year-old marshall is getting his covid vaccine. but 9-year-old trixie is still too young >> i'm really confused >> reporter: so are a lot of families.

>> does this new guidance change anything for kids who aren't vaccinated? >> no. they still need to continue those prevention measures. >> reporter: that means continuing to mask up inside or when you can't social distance >> what about children under 2 who can't wear a mask >> it's really the individuals that are around them. so the adults in their lives need to make sure that they're taking appropriate precaution >> reporter: especially getting vaccinated yourself and making sure that child isn't exposed. as crowds begin to gather again and places reopen -- >> if possible to be outdoors, that would be ideal but if not then you can bring them into the restaurant they likely would be wearing a mask and then taking off that mask during the meal >> reporter: what about bringing an unvaccinated child to a wedding or a sporting event with hundreds of people >> so that i would have some pause in terms of doing your unvaccinated child may then be at risk of getting

exposed to covid >> reporter: today dr. fauci said children between 2 and 11 could be eligible for the vaccine by the end of the year until then some parents may want to keep masking up. >> you're trying to model behavior for our youngest kids. and so for them to make something a habit they have to watch us doing it >> reporter: while there is progress for some, for others there may still be months of masks ahead. kristen dahlgren, nbc news israel stepped up its bombardment of hamas targets in gaza today amid fears of a ground invasion and increasing violence between arabs and jews within israel. richard engel is there. >> reporter: with new airstrikes tonight and tank and artillery fire, israel says it's targeting hamas and destroying a network of tunnels in gaza the islamic militant group is using to hide and launch 2,000 rockets at israeli towns and cities over the last several days

but it's not only tunnels being obliterated. this was a bank. israel says it was used by hamas. more than 120 palestinians have been killed so far including at least 30 children four of them buried together today venturing outside in gaza, 22-year-old law student karama hayal says the devastation is worse than she imagined >> we feel like whatever we do, whatever we build will get destroyed once again. if we had hope for the future, they just kill it >> reporter: it could get much worse israel has deployed thousands of troops to the gaza border, primed for a ground assault. but israel for now has held off an invasion, instead relying on its iron dome missile defense system to intercept hamas rockets. but some are getting through, falling indiscriminately and killing at least eight israelis

millions in israel have been rushing to bomb shelters. >> [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: "the children are traumatized. we've been in the shelter for a week," he says. and now the fighting is enraging palestinians outside of gaza. deadly clashes broke out in the west bank and for the first time in years palestinians with israeli citizenship are joining the fight. with mob vigilante attacks from both sides. >> richard, we've also seen rockets unsuccessfully launched from syria and lebanon. where does all this go from here? >> reporter: this could escalate quickly. palestinians are rising up inside and outside of israel. hamas is taking credit for bringing the two together so the hope can only be that both sides de-escalate before this becomes a regional war lester >> richard engel tonight. thank you. in just 60 seconds, the dangerous crack that shut down a bridge used by tens of thousands of motorists a day. and our investigation. the fight to reform a system that allows children to remain

with parents accused of abuse

columbus, ohio will pay a $10 million settlement to the family of a black man shot and killed by a police officer in december andre hill was shot by officer adam coy as he emerged from a garage holding a cell phone coy, who was fired from the force, has pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide charges he's far from washington, but former president trump's enduring power over his party was on full display today. with house republicans elevating a trump ally to a top leadership role with more on that here's peter alexander. >> reporter: house republicans tonight cementing themselves as the party of trump. voting to elevate elise stefanik, an outspoken defender of the former president, as their third-ranking leader today insisting the gop is unified >> i support president trump. voters support president trump.

he is an important voice in our republican party and we look forward to working with him >> reporter: despite complaints from some conservatives that she's too moderate, stefanik has the backing of the former president who tonight said the make america great again movement is strong. stefanik replaces liz cheney, who was ousted this week for her fierce criticism of mr. trump's repeated lie that the 2020 election was stolen. meanwhile, tonight house democrats are announcing they've reached a bipartisan agreement for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the events that led up to the january 6th capitol attack the house will vote whether to create that commission next week and tonight liz cheney says top house republican kevin mccarthy should be called to testify. lester >> all right peter alexander at the white house. thank you. a crack on a bridge linking tennessee and arkansas is causing some big headaches for tens of thousands of drivers who cross it each day and has quickly become a symbol of the country's broken infrastructure morgan chesky is there for us tonight >> reporter: tonight over the mississippi a crisis connecting two states close to

catastrophe. >> we just found a supercritical finding that needs traffic shut down in both directions >> reporter: frantic inspectors calling 911 tuesday after discovering a cracked beam in the i-40 bridge between tennessee and arkansas, causing an immediate shutdown river barges backed up for days before finally getting the green light this morning. for those on the roads an even bigger problem. >> it was terrible i mean, traffic was backed for miles >> reporter: the problem felt all the way in washington. >> we don't have to use our imagination to understand why bridges are important and why they need to be in good repair. >> reporter: the american society of civil engineers says nationwide 4 out of 10 bridges are at least 50 years old 46,000 of them in poor condition. at 48 years old the i-40 was listed in fair condition >> one of the most startling things is how a bridge can be in fair condition, yet still have these types of issues and how quickly some of these issues can develop

>> reporter: and tonight we did reach out to state officials. they tell us there is still no definitive timetable on when this bridge could finally reopen lester >> all right, morgan, thanks now to more of our nbc news investigation that we first brought you last night into family courts where advocates say too often judges allow kids to remain in the custody of abusive parents. kate snow tonight on the fight to reform the system >> it's called kayden's law >> yep named after her. >> reporter: kathy sherlock is fighting for new legislation born out of tragedy. her daughter kayden was 7 when she was killed by her father after a family court judge allowed him unsupervised visits despite kathy's arguments that he was violent. in her grief kathy started the foundation kayden's korner to push for change in the family court system. >> kayden's korner has kept me busy for the past three years i've had hope that things will change i think that's the only thing that really keeps me going

>> reporter: in wisconsin long-time family court judge ramona gonzalez says too often judges elected or appointed to family courts lack experience with domestic violence. >> lots of brand new appointed judges wind up sitting in family courts across the country. >> reporter: do a lot of the judges who are dealing with difficult custody disputes have background in these >> no. to put it bluntly, they're going to do their time, so to speak, in family court and then they'll move on to a different court. >> reporter: but while they are in family court, she says, decisions are rarely appealed or overturned what kind of power does a family court judge have >> oh. now you're talking about a significant amount of power. >> thank you very much -- >> reporter: judge gonzalez is part of the national council of juvenile and family court judges, which offers training for judges who handle custody cases. >> if you have untrained judges that don't understand the dynamics of trauma, they will make assumptions. and those assumptions

will lead to decisions that are based upon error. >> reporter: since 1990 her group has trained 10,000 judges, a tiny fraction of the total. one thing they teach, to avoid ignoring abuse claims because they're a so-called he said/she said. >> we make decisions about he said/she said every single day every single day we decide whether someone's paying the rent or not. but for some reason when it comes to these cases we all want to take a pass. >> reporter: in pennsylvania kayden's law would allow for a training program for judges, and more controversially, if a court found a preponderance of evidence of ongoing risk of abuse of the child any visitation with that parent would be supervised. >> a beautiful young girl whose life was taken from us. >> reporter: at the national level kathy's congressman added a version of kayden's law to a house bill reauthorizing the violence against women act. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: providing grants to states that

commit to training judges on child abuse and domestic violence. >> it passed the house. that must have been a big day for you. >> amazing nerve-wracking but amazing. >> reporter: kathy and other advocates urge parents fighting to protect their children to find an expert witness to educate the court about trauma and domestic violence. look for ways to appeal a custody order based on procedural errors and look for support groups for parents who've survived abuse. >> i don't ever want anyone to feel like they were alone and had nowhere to go or nowhere to turn to we might be fighting forever but it's not hard to connect with other people it's not hard to be there for others >> kate, where does the legislation stand? >> reporter: lester, it's not clear yet if the senate version of the violence against women act will include kayden's law but advocates are on the stal pennsylvania's legislature is expected tion to address issues involving family court lester >> all right

millions

we're back now with an nbc news exclusive. a new federal warning on growing scams linked to the explosion of cryptocurrencies here's tom costello. >> reporter: from wall street to main street digital cryptocurrencies have exploded in value and popularity with many americans eager to get in on the action but federal

investigators say a wild west culture has led to a massive spike in cryptocurrency scams. since october nearly 7,000 people have reported losses of more than $80 million. the median loss, $1,900 danielle and chris gert put $500 into what they thought was a bitcoin investment on facebook. it was a scam. >> in the beginning everything was kind of lining up legitimate that was initially when we started to get really skeptical, was when they requested more money in order to even get a withdrawal. >> reporter: in the end they lost $1,400 the federal trade commission says victims are often lured to bogus websites promising big returns for crypto investors. >> people read about bitcoin. they have a general sense of what it is and the fact that it's gone up in value and they want a piece of the action scammers know that and they prey on it. >> reporter: victims sent more than $2 million in cryptocurrency to scammers posing as elon musk. others duped by what

they thought was an online love connection the most likely 49-year-olds to avoid being scammed experts advise using legitimate banks and investment advisers to buy and sell cyber currencies and be very skeptical if anybody demands cyber payment. lester >> all right, tom, thank you. just in time for summer travel, a top destination is reopening to american tourists sarah harman is in greece for us tonight. ♪ >> reporter: tonight greece is open for tourism. and travel-starved americans are starting to come back >> it feels amazing to finally travel again >> we both love mountains and wine >> reporter: vaccinated americans or those with a negative pcr test are now free to roam the ancient acropolis. no quarantine most of europe is still off limits to americans. but here in greece tourism is about a quarter of gdp and they can't afford to wait any longer. why now? why is this the moment to reopen?

>> because we feel that we are ready. athens is ready. greece is ready. >> reporter: still, only 13% of greeks are fully vaccinated so hundreds of greek islands are now racing to vaccinate every adult by june. santorini is perhaps the most beautiful of all the greek islands. stunning views like these drew millions of visitors each year before the pandemic. many can't wait to have them back this hotel has been struggling 60% of guests were from the u.s >> the whole santorini was built on tourism it was quite tough >> reporter: the rest of europe won't be far behind italy, france, and spain all planning to join greece, welcoming back americans for the lucrative summer season sarah harman, nbc news, santorini, greece up next for us here tonight, the medical milestone inspiring america.

tonight after a long struggle a covid patient in chicago is finally out of the woods thanks to a first of its kind procedure that's inspiring america. [ cheers ] sounds of celebration. covid patients finally heading home after long hospital stays. but renato aquino's send-off this week was extra special. >> i feel wonderful. surgical first known patient in the united states to receive a covid to covid double lung transplant >> reporter: renato, a

blood technician, worked on the front lines, going into the hospital even during the worst of the pandemic but a year ago today he drove himself to the hospital for a different reason shortness of breath from covid-19. after months on a ventilator his niece was told to plan his funeral. >> i did all the arrangements, and then the next day he proved us wrong he wanted to live. >> reporter: he was placed on the lung donor list and a week later got the news >> love you! >> reporter: his lungs came from someone who had a mild to moderate case of covid and later died from an unrelated medical issue. >> with the right procedures in place it's absolutely safe to use those organs. >> i know thank you is not enough >> reporter: hope for others >> he's going to be doing karaoke soon ♪ >> reporter: and for renato a second chance >> i'm going to be a singer ♪

>> he's been through a lot. hey, be sure to watch our new episode of "nightly news" kids edition tomorrow here on nbc a reminder, we'll be traveling across america next week. orlando, cleveland, louisville, seattle, and los angeles. we're heading your way. that is "nightly news" for this friday. thank you for watching, everyone ♪ ♪ >> ♪♪ i get lost in your eyes ♪

♪ and i feel my spirits ♪ ♪ rise and soar like the wind ♪ ♪ is it love that i am in ♪ ♪ i get weak in a glance ♪ ♪ isn't this ♪ ♪ what's called romance ♪ ♪ and now i know ♪ ♪ 'cause when i'm lost ♪ ♪ i can let go ♪ ♪ i don't mind not knowing ♪ ♪ what i'm heading for ♪ ♪ you can take me to the skies ♪

♪ it's like being lost ♪ ♪ in heaven ♪ ♪ when i'm lost in your eyes ♪ ♪ in your eyes ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: welcome to "the kelly clarkson show." give it up for my band, y'all. all right, y'all. that was dead debbie gibson. why did you want to hear it? >> thank you for singing that song. in 2019 i saw debbie gibson when she was with new kids on the block. after the show we got to go to a meet and greet. while standing in line i nearly

blacked out and i couldn't believe i was